Superman Returns How do they adjust the film for IMAX?

[AsteroidMan]

I suppose that makes more sense. I don't know why I kept being told it could do higher resolutions... For some reason i thought it could do at least 2k. I guess having that big a chip plus the recording medium had me thinking it could go higher...

Yep, everybody sees 12.4 Megapixels and assumes it should be able to do around 4000x3000...

But according to the camera specs,
http://www.panavision.com/publish/2004/07/01/Genesis.pdf?PHPSESSID=27c0cd909430cd8b63cd6045d4e0fcdf

it uses the Sony SRW-1 VTR which supports 1080 lines:

http://www.bbp-video.nl/adam/srw1.pdf
"Long Recording Time
The SRW-1/SRPC-1 is capable of recording up to 50 minutes
at 1080/23.98P and up to 40 minutes at 1080/59.94i or
720/59.94P on a single S-sized HDCAM-SR cassette. For
even longer recording time, two SRW-1/SRPC-1 units can be
cascaded to double the recording capacity."

 

[ZGibbs]

[FONT=&quot]The confusion comes from, well basically it boils down to it being new technology. The actual CCD has, I believe, 11-12 megapixels. That is 4K resolution. But there's much more to the camera than that, if it were to "film" at that resolution (which it isn't designed to do), the image would NOT look good. It's built to output at half the size of the CCD, so it's closer to a 2K resolution ([/FONT][FONT=&quot]appx. 2048 X 1536[/FONT][FONT=&quot]). That is then output from the camera as the 1920x1080 standard.

As for Star Wars III, I didn't keep up with it too much because there was nothing interesting about the camera use. I do know that they used a slightly newer version of the Sony camera used in Ep. II. I know that that camera shoots in an aspect ratio of 1.77:1 and that the movie was presented in 2.35:1. So logically (at the time) it would be impossible that no matting occurred. I can tell you this, Ep. III did have a higher resolution than Ep.II did, but for different reasons. Ep.II's camera had to record at 1440x1080 because at the time the data could not be written fast enough to shoot at full 1920x1080. By the time Ep. III came around this was solved and allowed them to shoot using the whole frame (but it still gets matted in the final presentation). Now this is not the case as there is a new lens system that allows the whole frame to be used at a 2.35:1 AR, but it was not available until this year (2006).[/FONT]

 

[J.Howlett]

ZGibbs,

I followed the production of Episode III very closely and you're right. I personally didn't know that the film was in 1.77.1. I didn't know it got matted.

Everything else you've said is correct with Episode II and III.

I just wanted to clear up that part.

Would you say this Genesis camera is the top of line camera when it comes HD photography simulating the film look as close as possible?

 

[ZGibbs]

J. Howlett,

Perhaps. It's still much too early to tell how the digital camera revolution will turn out. For instance, it may end up that virtually all movies will be shot on relativly the same kind of camera, much like 35mm film has been the standard for so long. Then again, because of the ease they give us, we may see a vast choice of cameras afforded future filmmakers, to a point where it's no longer a matter of "This movie used this camera, that movie used another camera, etc. " and scences will simply be shot with whatever suits them best. I'm getting side tracked here, lol.

Superman Returns was shot digitally, and it looks damn good from what little I've seen. That's all that matters. I'll say this; the Genesis is not as good as it gets, because I'd bet money that by the time "Superman Returns Some More" is shot they'll be using something better. The Genesis II perhaps? But certainly at the time it was at the top of its game.

 

[mcflytrap]

All I can say is that I saw BATMAN BEGINS 3 times on IMAX...every second was there and there was NO pan&scan. It looked spectacular, it sounded spectacular, I splooged my pants.

 

[Steelsheen]

this has been most educational


please continue

 

[qwik3r]

Does anyone think that they will eventually convert the entire movie to IMAX? They plan on re-releasing the latest starwars flick and a few other movies in imax

 

[Steelsheen]

Does anyone think that they will eventually convert the entire movie to IMAX? They plan on re-releasing the latest starwars flick and a few other movies in imax

the whole film is already converted to IMAX


unless what you mean is to convert the entire film into IMAX 3D, then yeah maybe someday they will. there's plans for The Phantom Menace to come out in 3D by next year, not sure if they're gonna re-release it on an IMAX but if the technology can take it i dont see why it cant happen (other than it wouldnt be cost effective to do so).